Disorder In The Court
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: Cole has to defend the Charmed Ones when they end up in the Otherworld court system charged with the wrongful death of the Source of All Evil.  And he has to face one of his most formidable opponents.  Another demonic attorney he has never been able to be
1. Chapter 1

CHARMED

"Disorder In The Court"

By J. B. Tilton (a.k.a. NoAzMale) and Teri Thibeault (a.k.a. K

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

Cole has to defend the Charmed Ones when they end up in the Otherworld court system charged with the wrongful death of the Source of All Evil. And he has to face one of his most formidable opponents. Another demonic attorney he has never been able to beat in court.

ONE

Cole Turner sat in his office looking over the case files he would be handling in the next few days. Most of them were pretty straightforward, even routine. He didn't foresee any problems with most of them. Even though his real motivation was to prove to Phoebe that he was no longer evil he still had to maintain the personae of a lawyer. And that meant handling cases as any other attorney.

That wasn't a problem for him. He had been an attorney for a very long time. It was easy for him to work out deals with the opposing council that was mutually beneficial for both parties. Of course, that meant he had to choose the cases that were easy to handle. In a law firm of this size he had no trouble picking and choosing his cases.

Suddenly a paper simply appeared on an inbox sitting on the top of one of his filing cabinets. Casually he got up from his desk and walked over. He pulled the paper out of the inbox and glanced at it. It was a docket for the Otherworld Court system. Even though he no longer practiced law in the Otherworld realm he was still receiving the docket for the courts there. He made a mental note to notify the court clerk to stop the notifications.

He had been receiving the docket for many years now. Even as he practiced law on the mortal realm he had also practiced law in the Otherworld realm. As a lawyer he was required to handle a certain number of cases each year to maintain a member of good standing in the Otherworld Bar Association. Since he was no longer interested in maintaining good standing in the Otherworld court system it was no longer necessary for him to handle any cases. In a few months a year would have elapsed and he wouldn't be able to practice law there any longer. Which was just as well with him.

As he was about to toss the docket into the trashcan a name caught his eye. He paused a moment as he read over the docket. He couldn't believe his eyes. He passed his hand over the inbox and a small pile of papers appeared in the box. He pulled the papers out and looked at them.

This was ridiculous. What he read was almost beyond belief. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined something like this. This was a civil action and normally he didn't handle civil cases. But considering the circumstances he decided to make an exception. He moved back over to his desk and picked up the phone to notify his secretary that he was going to be out of the office for the rest of the day.

"Phoebe, are you ready?" Paige called from the foot of the stairs.

"Just finishing up," said Phoebe, coming out of the second floor hallway. "I couldn't find the earrings to go with this dress. I finally found them in the bathroom. I don't remember taking them off in there."

"Well we have to get going," said Piper, coming out of the kitchen, Leo close behind. "With my bartender out with the flu I'm going to need all the help I can opening the club. You guys promised to help and if we don't leave now we'll never get it open in time."

"I'm ready," protested Phoebe. "I found the earrings and we can leave now."

"Why bother with earrings when you're just going to be working anyway?" questioned Leo. "Does it really matter what you look like while you're washing glasses?"

"Men," said Phoebe, mock scoff in her voice. "Once we get the club set up the guests will start arriving. You never know who may show up. I want to look my best in case someone interesting comes in."

"Okay, okay," said Leo, "I get your point. But Piper has a point. We need to get going now if we're going to have enough time to get everything set up before opening time."

"You could orb us there," suggested Phoebe. "Or Paige could. That would save us quite a bit of time."

"You know that's not allowed," said Leo. "My orbing is for demonically related incidents only. It's not supposed to be used as a ferry service every time you need to go somewhere."

"I've seen you bend the rules plenty of times," said Paige. "Besides, I'm not under the same restrictions. I'm only half White Lighter so I'm not under the same restrictions. I could orb us all there in no time."

"And possibly attract the attention of some demon in the process," said Piper. "No thank you. I'd just as soon do this the old fashioned way if you don't mind. Let's just save the orbing for some time when we really need it."

"If that's the way you want it," said Paige. "But we'd better get going."

Together they all turned and headed for the front door. Paige was the first one at the door and as she opened it she nearly collided with a young man who was about to knock on the door. He stepped back to keep from running into her.

"Whoa, sorry lady," said the man. "I wasn't sure anyone was home. Thought I'd take a chance."

"Can we help you?" Paige asked.

"I hope so," said the young man. "I'm looking for Piper or Phoebe Halliwell or Paige Matthews. My information is that they live here."

"Well, you have the right place," said Piper, stepping up to the front of the group. "And just who might you be?"

"Name's Eddie," said the young man. "Eddie Cantor."

"Like the actor?" Leo asked.

"Actor?" questioned Cantor. "There's an actor with my name?"

"There was," said Leo. "He died a long time ago."

"Oh, okay. Well, I was just hired to deliver this." Cantor took some papers out of his jacket and handed them to Piper who opened them to look at them. "Well, that's all I was supposed to do. Oh, yeah. I'm supposed to say, you've just been served. Have a good day."

They all watched as Cantor suddenly turned and scampered down the front steps.

"Served?" questioned Phoebe. "What does he mean we've been served?"

"Just as he said," said Piper, looking over the papers. "This is some kind of a legal document. I think we're being sued?"

"Sued?" questioned Paige. "Sued by whom? And for what?"

"Someone named Leshna," said Piper. "This is a summons to appear in the 3rd Judicial Court of the Otherworld Supreme Court to answer to claims of the wrongful death of someone named Klen-Nash. This doesn't make any sense."

"Actually, it does," said Leo. "That particular court is in the Otherworld court system."

"Otherworld court system?" questioned Phoebe. "You mean someone in the Underworld is suing us?"

"The Otherworld court system handles more than just cases for the Underworld," explained Leo, taking the papers from Piper and looking them over. "It handles any case involving magical beings. As you've learned in the past, since you're witches you fall under the jurisdiction of the Otherworld court system in certain cases."

"Boy, do I remember," said Paige. "I almost had to leave Earth because I hadn't declared my citizenship when I turned 21. Never mind that I never even knew I was half White Lighter at the time."

"If I'm reading this correctly," said Leo, "you're being sued for the wrongful death of the Source."

"What?" Phoebe cried. "We vanquished him in self-defense. How could anyone claim it was a wrongful death?"

"I don't know," said Leo. "But before becoming the Source he was a demon called Klen-Nash. Once he ascended to the throne he simply went by the Source."

"Didn't Cole once tell us that the Source's real demonic name was unpronounceable by the human tongue?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes," said Leo. "Klen-Nash is the human translation of his demonic name. It's the closest any non-demon can come to pronouncing it. Anyway, it's been five hundred years since anyone has called him that."

"Not exactly," said Cole, walking out of the kitchen. "A couple of close family members used to refer to him by that even after he became the Source. Oh, never in public, mind you. But for some reason he tolerated it from them."

"What are you doing here?" Phoebe demanded. "It thought I made it perfectly clear I never wanted to see you again."

"You did," said Cole. "But when I saw you names appear on the Otherworld docket I knew you wouldn't be prepared for this. Plus you're going to need an attorney to represent you. And I may be prejudiced, but I think I'm the best one qualified to represent you in this matter."

"We don't need your help, Turner," said Piper. "We're quite capable of taking care of ourselves."

"Against demons, yes," said Cole. "But not in a courtroom. And certainly not in an Otherworld courtroom. You're going to need a top notched attorney to represent you. And if I do say so myself, I am one of the best."

"Look," began Paige.

"No, he's right," said Leo. "He may be a demon but he's still an attorney. And a very good one at that."

"Not to mention I'm still licensed to practice in the Otherworld court system," said Cole. "And believe me when I tell you you're going to need my help on this one. A wrongful death case can be as tricky as a murder case. I'm not sure who the opposing attorney is but you can bet it's going to be someone extremely competent.

"Look, I know you aren't thrilled to see me. And ordinarily I'd honor your wishes to stay away. But this is nothing personal. It's strictly business. I'm willing to represent you in this matter to the best of my ability. And you're going to need every bit of my expertise if you plan to beat this thing."

"Well," said Paige hesitantly, "it might take time to find someone in the Otherworld realm to represent us."

"With no guarantee they would work as diligently in your favor," said Cole. "While most attorneys, even demonic ones, are normally very competent and represent their clients fairly and honestly, not all are as aggressive as they could possibly be. Especially when their clients are humans."

"It's up to you," Piper said to Phoebe.

"I don't suppose we have much choice," said Phoebe. "But we don't really have a lot of time to deal with this now. We have to get the club open for Piper."

"We can discuss it later," said Cole. "It will give me a chance to research the case and find out some specifics about it. What say we meet back here after the club closes and we can go over what I've been able to find out?"

"Okay, but that's all," said Phoebe. "We discuss only the case. I don't want to hear even one word about us getting back together again. That's not going to happen."

"You have my word," said Cole who then shimmered out of the manor.

Without much enthusiasm for the club the rest of them left the manor and headed for the club.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

"Okay, Cole," said Phoebe later that night back at the manor, "what is this nonsense about the wrongful death of the Source? And just who is suing us over it?"

"It's not nonsense," said Cole. "It's a very serious case. The person bringing the case is Leshna. She was the mate of the Source's brother. When his brother was vanquished everything was inherited by the Source, including his brother's family. According to Underworld tradition, the Source took his dead brother's mate as his own mate, except it was in name only. And it was only to honor a very ancient tradition. But legally she was still his nearest living relative and as such has standing in the courts to bring a wrongful death case."

"How could anyone claim it was a wrongful death?" insisted Piper. "You were there. You know what happened. He tried to kill us and we vanquished him in self-defense."

"I know," said Cole. "And legally you've been absolved of any criminal charges involved with his vanquishing. But a civil case is different. It operates under different guidelines. Legally, a wrongful death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of another individual, company or entity. Even if you didn't have anything to do with the person's death you can still be considered liable for that death under civil statutes."

"Kind of like that football player who was accused of killing his ex-wife a few years ago," said Phoebe. "He was found not guilty in a criminal court but still was found liable for her death in the civil case."

"That's exactly right," said Cole. "You see, under criminal statutes the state has to prove that a person was somehow involved in the person's death in violation of existing criminal statues. If they can't, then the person can't be held legally culpable for that death. A civil case is different. Even though a person may not be criminally culpable in a person's death they can still be held responsible for that death in a civil court.

"Look at it this way. You're driving down the road and you accidentally hit someone killing them because your brakes fail on you. Now, legally you aren't guilty of murder or even manslaughter. It was just a senseless accident. So the state can't prosecute you since you haven't broken any laws.

"But if it can be proven that you were negligent in maintaining your car you can still be held responsible for that person's death in a civil court. While you can't be prosecuted for the death because you didn't break any laws you can still be held liable for that death because of your negligence."

"Well, this shouldn't be too hard to prove," said Phoebe. "Don't they have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were liable for the Source's death? It was a clear cut case of self-defense."

"First of all," said Cole, "it's beyond a reasonable doubt, not a shadow of a doubt. And as I said, civil cases operate differently from criminal cases. In a civil case it's the preponderance of the evidence that decides the verdict. This means that both sides present their case and whichever side the evidence points most to wins. At least that's the precept."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked.

"It means that quite often emotion can sway a jury," said Cole. "In a lot of cases the evidence can be quite confusing and a jury will render a verdict based on the emotions brought up during the trial."

"So exactly what is this Leshna claiming?" Piper asked. "How can she claim we were liable for the Source's death when he clearly attacked us first? We only vanquished him out of self-preservation."

"According to the pleadings," said Cole, "she's claiming that you provoked the Source into attacking you. That you goaded him to the point that he felt he had no choice but to come after you to protect himself. And that if it wasn't for your interference the battle that vanquished him would never have happened."

"That's ridiculous," said Paige. "We never went after him. He kept coming after us. We never provoked him at all except that we were witches."

"I'm not saying I agree with it," said Cole. "I'm simply telling you what she's alleging. It's very possible she actually believes what she claims. Her only source of information would be what the Source or other demons would have told her. It's quite possible she was told that you were instigating the attacks."

"But what kind of evidence could she possibly have that would prove that?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," said Cole. "You know as well as I do that two people can look at the same situation and interpret it differently. You may not look at a situation the same way I do. Your upbringing, your experience, everything about you will determine how you look at and interpret a given situation. It's the same with demons. They look at things differently from humans but even different demons look at things differently from other demons."

"So what do we do about it?" Paige asked.

"We have to go to court and present our side of the case," said Cole. "We have to show that you three did nothing to provoke the Source other than being witches. We have to convince the jury that the Source was responsible for his own destruction and that you only did what you had to in order to protect yourself."

"That should be easy enough," said Piper. "We have lots of witnesses who can prove we never tried to provoke the Source."

"And they'll have witnesses who will contend that you did," said Cole. "All we can do is go to court and try to counter any claims or witnesses they make."

"How long is this going to take?" Phoebe asked. "We can't be away for an extended period of time. There could be innocents who need our help. Not to mention our jobs and other responsibilities. Just how long will this trial take, anyway?"

"There's no way to know for sure," said Leo. "Legal proceedings in the Otherworld court continue until they are concluded. But you've been through similar things before. In the Otherworld court time has a different meaning. No matter how long it takes we'll be returned to Earth at nearly the same instant from when we left. No appreciable amount of time will have passed on Earth during the trial."

"Well that's something at least," said Phoebe. "I remember when I was on jury duty. When I had that premonition that showed me the guy was actually innocent. It took them days just to choose the jury."

"That doesn't apply here," said Cole. "Otherworld courts are similar to mortal courts but they operate a little differently. The jury will all ready have been chosen by the time we get there. All we have to do is show up and present our case."

"That doesn't seem fair," said Paige. "How do you know if you'll get a fair jury or not?"

"That's all handled by a third party," said Cole. "Remember what you were told in a previous case? The Otherworld courts are only interested in the truth. And the truth doesn't need preparation. But I've handled a lot of cases in the Otherworld court. Trust me. The jury will be made up of appropriate people who will make a fair and honest assessment of the case before rendering a decision."

"I would just feel more comfortable if we had a little more control over everything, that's all," said Piper. "It still seems like we're walking into this thing blind."

"We'll be fine," said Cole. "I'll come get you when it's time to go to court. Until then get some rest."

Cole shimmered out of the manor. The others decided to take his advice and get some sleep before heading to the Otherworld court.

"Well, it's just as I figured it would be," said Piper as they stared around at the swirling mists of the Otherworld court. "Nothing but the skeletal structure of a courtroom. Just like the other times we've been here."

"It's always like that," said Cole. "Just enough to complete the task at hand."

"So, where is this Leshna who filed the suit against us?" Phoebe asked. "The one who claims we were wrongfully responsible for the Source's death?"

"That would be her over at that table," said Cole, indicating a middle-aged looking demoness sitting at a table. "It doesn't look like her attorney has shown up yet. I wonder who he'll be?"

"You don't know," Paige asked.

"No," said Cole. "We don't usually know who our opposing council will be until we arrive in court."

"What makes you think the attorney is male?" Phoebe asked.

"All demonic attorney's are male," said Cole. "As I'm sure you're aware females don't occupy any prominent positions in the Underworld. Well, most of them don't. There are a few exceptions, like the Seer. But she's one of the very few exceptions and then only because she was of great use to the Source."

"So, how long before this begins?" Leo asked.

"Any moment now, I suspect," said Cole. "Once the attorney for the plaintiff arrives and the judge gets here the jury will be seated. Then we'll get to present our case. After that it's just a matter of waiting for the jury to render a verdict."

"I see you still remember how a court proceeding is conducted."

They all turned to see a man wearing a three-piece suit walking up to them. The man was carrying a briefcase and had a broad smile on his face. He was as tall as Cole but with sandy-brown hair. And he was as attractive as Cole. A fact that didn't escape any of the girl's attention.

"Well, well, well," said Cole, a smirk on his face. "Byron Caldwell. What brings you into court today? Slumming?"

"Not exactly," said Caldwell. "I'm the attorney for the plaintiff, Leshna."

"You?" questioned Cole. "But you don't handle wrongful death cases. You've always said most of them were a waste of time."

"I decided to make an exception in this case," said Caldwell. "After all, it is the death of the Source we're talking about. Not exactly a low profile case. Not to mention the judgment will be quite substantial once I win the case."

"I can't imagine what that could be," said Cole. "The girl's don't have any money. At least not the kind this type of case is worth. And they don't have anything else that a demon might want. They're human. They don't have any of the normal demonic forms of currency. I don't know what you hope to gain from all this."

"Just the greatest fee of my entire, career, that's all," said Caldwell. "Oh, it's true they may not have any money. But I don't really need money, you know that. And I think it's a given they don't have any normal demonic currency with which to pay the judgment. But what they do have is worth more than money or even the normal demonic currency awarded in cases like this."

"And just what might that be?" Cole asked.

"Their powers," said Caldwell. "Once I've won the case the jury will award my client their powers as compensation for the wrongful death of her former mate. And since we both know she can't use their powers I'll just have her give them to me as my fee. She gets her judgment against the Charmed Ones, I get their powers, and the Underworld never has to worry about the witches interfering in its business again. All in all a most productive case."

"Assuming you win," said Cole. "You seem pretty confident with the trial not even having started yet."

"Oh, I'm going to win," said Caldwell. "First, there's our history together. Second, there's my star witness. Something not even you will be able to counter."

"Star witness?" questioned Cole. "Now just who might your star witness be?"

"Hewwo, evwybody. Sowwy I'm wate. I got wost."

Everyone turned to see Elbert standing just a few feet from them. He was wringing his hands and glancing about nervously.

"Elbert?" questioned Cole. "Elbert, what are you doing here?"

"Meet my star witness," said Caldwell, smiling an evil smile. "The step-son of the Source of All Evil. Elbert Egbert Klinehopper IV."

Everyone just stared at Elbert in shocked surprise.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

"Cole, what did he mean that Elbert was his star witness?" Phoebe asked after everyone had been seated. The judge had entered and the jury had been seated. They had all taken their seat to begin the trial.

"I'm not sure," said Cole. "I can't believe Elbert would be involved in something like this voluntarily. He really likes you guys. And he doesn't have a vengeful bone in his body. My guess is that Byron has somehow tricked him into this."

"You know him," said Leo. "He said something about your history?"

"Yes," said Cole. "We went through college and law school together. He's the best litigator I've ever seen. I've gone up against him a few times and he's always beaten me. We're in for a real fight this time."

"That still doesn't explain why Elbert is involved with him," said Piper.

"Yeah, well," fumbled Cole, "the plaintiff? The demon known as Leshna. That's Elbert's mother. Remember, Elbert was the stepson of the Source. Elbert's father was the Source's brother. As I told you, when his brother was vanquished the Source inherited all of his property. Including his mate and children."

"Can they really do it?" Paige asked. "Can they really take our powers if we loose?"

"I'm afraid so," said Cole. "And the judgment of the court is final. There is no appeal. We have to win this thing the first time around."

"What do you think our chances are?" Phoebe asked.

Cole just looked over at Caldwell who looked back at him with a smile on his face.

"Not good," said Cole. "Not good at all."

"The court will come to order," said the bailiff. "The Honorable Judge Hoshnar presiding."

"Everyone be seated," said the judge. "Bailiff, what is the case before the court today?"

"Your Honor," said the bailiff. "The case before the court today is docket number 117,436-B, Leshna v. the Charmed Ones, et. al. Attorney for the plaintiff is Byron Caldwell. Attorney for the defendants is Coleridge Benjamin Turner, a.k.a. Belthazor. All parties are present and ready for trial."

"Good," said the judge. "Mr. Caldwell, will you read your pleadings, please?"

"Certainly, Your Honor," said Caldwell, standing up. "The plaintiff, Leshna, former mate of the aforementioned Source of All Evil, does allege on information and belief that the aforementioned Charmed Ones did willfully and maliciously cause the vanquishing of the aforementioned Source of All Evil. It is her further allegation that said vanquishing was performed with premeditation and through deliberate acts of subterfuge and collusion by the aforementioned Charmed Ones. Leshna asks that a judgment against the Charmed Ones be entered into the court's records and that as recompense for the loss of her mate that the Charmed Ones be required to relinquish their power, en Toto, to her."

"Belthazor," said the judge, "I presume you dispute this claim."

"Absolutely, Your Honor," said Cole. "It is the position of the defendants, the aforementioned Charmed Ones, that the vanquishing of the Source of All Evil was neither premeditated nor malicious. It is the position of the Charmed Ones that the vanquishing was in response to unprovoked attacks by the Source of All Evil and that it was necessary and required for self-preservation."

"Very well," said the judge. "I will remind all parties that any testimony they give must be truthful and honest. Failure to do so will find you in contempt of court with some very severe penalties. Mr. Caldwell, you may present your case."

"Thank you, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "The plaintiff calls Leshna."

The demoness stood up and walked to the witness stand. When she had been seated Caldwell stepped up to her.

"Leshna," began Caldwell, "will you tell the court about your official and legal status to the deceased Source of All Evil?"

"My original mate was Der-Rocklar, the brother of the Source of All Evil," said Leshna. "About 700 years ago, human time, my mate was vanquished. According to Underworld tradition, as his nearest living male relative, the Source took possession of all of his property. That included myself and my children."

"And you have been his mate since that time?"

"That is correct. Until he was murdered by those witches."

"Objection," said Cole.

"Sustained," said the judge. "Leshna, please refrain from any editorializing. Still ?just to the facts."

"Yes, sir, I'm sorry. In answer to my attorney's questions, yes, I was his mate until his death."

"Thank you," said Caldwell. "No further questions. Pass the witness."

"Leshna," said Cole. "Isn't it true that he was your 'mate' in name only? That at no time did you ever reside together as true demonic mates?"

"Well, yes, it is. But that doesn't make him any less my mate. According to Underworld law and tradition he was my mate even if we didn't consummate the relationship."

"So why are you bringing this suit today?" Cole asked. "If he was your mate in name only there was obviously no affection between the two of you. Isn't this just a case of you being vindictive and wanting revenge against the Charmed Ones?"

"Objection, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "Leshna's motivations are unimportant. As my learned colleague is aware, as the legal mate of the Source of All Evil, she is well within her rights to file a wrongful death suit against the Charmed Ones."

"Objection sustained," said the judge. "Belthazor, move on."

"No further questions," said Cole.

"The witness is excused," said the judge.

Leshna stepped down from the stand.

"The plaintiff calls Lucarsh," said Caldwell.

Without preamble a demon suddenly shimmered into the witness stand. It was difficult to tell that the creature was a demon since it was in human form. However, Cole informed them that Lucarsh had at one time been an assistant to the Source of All Evil. Caldwell approached the demon.

"Would you tell the court what your position is?" questioned Caldwell.

"Well, right now I'm working for Keshlor," said Lucarsh. "He's responsible for disrupting political elections and making sure the wrong people get elected."

"And what was your position before working for Keshlor?"

"I was one of the personal assistants to the Source of All Evil."

"A position you lost when the Source was vanquished."

"That's right. But it helped me get on with Keshlor. It was either him or Malevant and believe me, I didn't want to work for Malevant."

"I understand," said Caldwell, smiling. "Tell the court, Lucarsh. Do you remember an incident that occurred on approximately November 8 of 2001, human time?"

"Oh, I remember that. The Source decided to get the Charmed Ones to strip their powers. So he kidnapped one of them. The middle one, I think. Or was it the oldest one? Gee, I really don't remember. Anyway, he created this entire world in her mind and tried to get her to use an incantation that would have stripped all their powers forever. It almost worked, too."

"Tell us. Did he at any time attempt to harm the sister during this little endeavor?"

"Not that I know of. He said they were a threat 'cause they were witches. Without their powers they'd be no more of a threat than any other mortal. All he was trying to do was get the sister to strip their powers so they wouldn't be able to vanquish any more demons."

"Objection," said Cole. "The witness has no way of knowing what was in the Source's mind."

"Unless the Source communicated his intentions to the witness pertaining to his intentions."

"In which case it would be hearsay and inadmissible."

"Not if the witness was a party to the endeavor in which case he would be considered an expert witness for the purposes of these proceedings."

"Lucarsh," said the judge, "were you part of the endeavor to strip the witch of her powers?"

"Oh, yes, Your Honor. I was the one who helped the Source set the whole thing up. He said he couldn't trust anyone else to do it and he confided in me his entire plan. And like I said, it almost worked, too."

"Objection overruled."

"Lucarsh," continued Caldwell, "are you saying that the Source's intention was not to harm the Charmed Ones but merely to strip their powers from them?"

"Yeah. He said it was much too dangerous to confront them directly. A lot of demons have and most have been vanquished. He said it was their power that most dangerous and without it we wouldn't have to worry about them any more."

"Thank you. No more questions."

Cole just looked at Lucarsh. He remembered that incident. If not for Leo and him the Source might well have caused Piper to strip their powers forever. And Lucarsh was right. The Source had only attempted to strip the girl's powers, not kill them.

"Lucarsh," said Cole, "did the Source tell you what he had planned for the Charmed Ones after he had stripped their powers?"

"He never said. All he was interested in at that moment was stripping their powers from them."

"So it's very possible that he planned to kill them once their powers were gone?"

"Objection," said Caldwell. "The witness has just testified that the Source did not communicate his intentions beyond his desire to strip their powers. Unless the witness has telepathy or some other form of mind reading as one of his powers he is not qualified to tell what the Source had planned beyond the operation he was currently involved in."

"Objection sustained. Belthazor, please refrain from asking witnesses to speculate on information they do not have access to."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"That hurt us," Cole whispered to the others. "He's laid a good foundation that the Source wasn't out to kill the girls, only strip their powers. It goes a long way to bolster their claim that the girls provoked the Source into an unnecessary attack on them."

"Well, do something," said Piper. "It wasn't like that and you know it. You know good and well he planned to kill us all along."

"I know," said Cole. "But all Lucarsh can testify to is what the Source told him, not what the Source might have planned later on. There's not a whole lot more I can do to counter his testimony."

"Belthazor, do you have anything further for this witness?"

"No, Your Honor. No further questions."

"The witness is excused," said the judge.

Cole just looked dejectedly at the girls and Leo as Lucarsh shimmered out of the witness stand. Their case wasn't getting off to a very good start.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

"The plaintiff calls Zorcal," said Caldwell.

As before a demon suddenly shimmered into the witness stand. This demon, however, was obviously a demon. It was a light green with yellow hair. Its ears were pointed and its eyes were bright orange with no pupils.

"Zorcal, will you please tell the court your occupation, please?"

"I am an analytical statistician for the Underworld Bureau of Vital Statistics and Economic Data Evaluation."

"I'm sorry," said Caldwell, laughing slightly, "I'm not very familiar with the bureaucracy of Bureaucracy Demons. And I'm sure His Honor and the jury are just as mystified as I am. Could you explain to us exactly what an analytical statistician for the Underworld Bureau of Vital Statistics and Economic Data Evaluation does?"

"Certainly. Basically I'm employed by the Underworld Bureau of Vital Statistics and Economic Data Evaluation. They're the ones who keep records on the vanquishing of demons and the reassignment of other demons based on those vanquishings. My particular specialty is to collect, correlate, and evaluate the statistics pertaining to the vanquishing of high level demons."

"And that would include the vanquishing of the Source of All Evil?"

"Oh, absolutely. In fact, my specific assignment is to keep complete records on all aspects of vanquishings that pertain to the Source, including his own, when and if that occurs."

"And I assume you are quite good at your job."

"I'm a Bureaucracy Demon. By definition I'm very good at my job."

"Of course. Now tell the court. In your capacity as an analytical statistician for high level demons, have you ever had occasion to collect, correlate, and evaluate statistics regarding the Charmed Ones and their vanquishings?"

"Oh, absolutely. In fact, they keep me quite busy. The paperwork involved in vanquishings is quite extensive and I'm very backed up because of all the vanquishings by the Charmed Ones. It's quite an inconvenience for me to have to appear in court today."

"I apologize for the inconvenience. But this is very important. These vanquishings you mentioned. It's your job to maintain the official records of the vanquishings related to high level demons?"

"Yes, it is."

"And these records include vanquishings by the Charmed Ones?"

"As I said, they are responsible for a great many vanquishing of high level demons."

"I see. So when the Charmed Ones vanquish demons for self-protection you have to collect, correlate, and evaluate those vanquishings for the official records of the Underworld Bureau of Vital Statistics and Economic Data Evaluation?"

"Oh, not just those. All the vanquishings regardless of the reason behind them."

"Are you saying that the Charmed Ones have vanquished demons that didn't involve the preservation of themselves?"

"Quite a few, actually. They were indirectly responsible for the vanquishing of Raynor, an advisor and mentor to the Brotherhood of the Thorn who was the defacto leader of the Brotherhood after Vornac. Then there was Dantalian, an evil high priestess. She tricked one of the Charmed Ones into marrying a warlock named Zile which turned the witches evil. When they vanquished her they reverted back to being good.

"There were also the Grimlocks. The Charmed Ones vanquished them even when there was no direct threat to themselves. But they sought out the Grimlocks and vanquished them. They also vanquished Ludlow who trained Firestarters for the Source. He was no direct threat to the Charmed Ones yet they vanquished him just as they had vanquished the others."

"So your testimony today is that the Charmed Ones vanquish not only those demons who attack them personally, but they also go out of their way to vanquish demons who are no threat to them?"

"I'd say that is a fair assessment," replied Zorcal.

"I have no further questions of this witness," said Caldwell. "Pass the witness."

Cole stood up and glanced at the sisters. The look on his face showed that he wasn't confident of his cross-examination.

"Zorcal," said Cole. "Are you aware of the mandate for the Charmed Ones?"

"Of course," said the demon. "All demons are. In fact, in my capacity as an analytical statistician it's necessary for me to know their mandate. But in truth all demons are aware of it."

"And just what is that mandate?"

"To fight evil and protect the innocent."

"So wouldn't you say that even the demons they attacked who weren't a direct threat to them was in keeping with their mandate?"

"I'd hardly call a Firestarter an innocent."

"Please, just answer the question."

"Well, I suppose you could look at it that way. Demons by definition are evil. I suppose in some circles going after demons who weren't a threat to them could be construed as fighting evil."

"So it wouldn't be considered outside their purview to attack demons who weren't threatening them?"

"Objection," said Caldwell. "The witness is an expert in statistical analysis, not in the mandate or purview of human witches."

"Sustained. Stay within the scope of the witness' expertise, Belthazor."

"No further questions, Your Honor."

"Redirect, Your Honor?" questioned Caldwell as Cole took his seat. The judge simply nodded.

"Zorcal," said Caldwell, "in your capacity as an analytical statistician, do you collect information on the nature of the vanquishings?"

"Of course. Our records are very complete and we go through a complete audit every three months. And I'm happy to say I have always passed with flying colors."

"I have no doubt. Tell the court. In your records, are there instances where the Charmed Ones provoked a demon to attack who wasn't a threat to them personally?"

"As a matter of fact, there are. I can present the records if you'd like. All are cross-referenced to the vanquishing, the specific demon involved, and the nature of the vanquishing."

"Thank you," said Caldwell. "It may be necessary to produce those records soon. I'll send someone to collect certified copies of the records later this afternoon."

"Objection, Your honor," said Cole. "If council for the plaintiff does not have the records now he can't make arrangements to submit them later. The rules of court are quite clear. Evidence must be submitted at the time of trial."

"We're willing to stipulate that Zorcal's testimony is enough to establish this aspect of our case."

"Very well," said the judge. "The witness is excused." Suddenly Zorcal shimmered and vanished from the witness stand.

"That was good," said Leo. "Without those records they loose a lot of evidence for their case, right?"

"Yes," said Cole, "but I don't think that was the purpose of this witness."

"Then what was?" Paige asked.

"To establish that you have a history of going after demons who weren't a threat to you personally," said Cole. "Remember they're alleging that you unnecessarily provoked the Source into attacking you so you could vanquish him. And I have to admit he's done a very good job of establishing that you have done that in the past."

"Only to protect the innocent," protested Piper. "We've never provoked a demon just to provoke one."

"That isn't the issue," said Cole. "The fact is you do lure demons out so you can vanquish them. Why isn't a matter of concern in this case. This isn't about good versus evil. It's about whether you provoked the Source to attack you. And he just established that you've done it in the past with other demons."

"We're losing aren't we?" Phoebe asked.

"I wouldn't go that far exactly," said Cole. "The plaintiff is still presenting their case. Once their done we get to present our side. And I'll know better what evidence to present once he's rested his case."

"Any ideas what evidence you're going to present yet?" Piper asked.

"That's a little premature at this point," said Cole. "I have to see all the evidence he plans to present before I can decide on a course of action. Let's just wait and see what other evidence Byron presents before we decide what to do."

"What about Caldwell?" Leo asked. "You said you have never beat him in court before."

"Yeah, but that was in criminal cases," said Cole. "This is different. This is a civil case. Byron doesn't normally handle civil cases."

"So you think we're going to win?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we do," said Cole. "Don't worry. We'll get our chance once he's finished."

Cole sat back in his chair and looked over the papers on the table in front of him. He couldn't tell them the truth. Despite what he had told Phoebe, things were not going well for them. Caldwell had done a very good job establishing that the girls had often lured demons out so they could vanquish them. He also knew that Caldwell would soon demonstrate that the girls had provoked the Source into attacking them and he had no idea how he was going to counter that claim. But unless he found a way he knew one thing. They were going to lose.


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

"Mr. Caldwell," said the judge. "Do you any further evidence to present?"

"Yes, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "The plaintiff calls Elbert Klinehopper to the stand."

Everyone watched as Elbert suddenly shimmered onto the witness stand. Only it wasn't the witness stand he shimmered onto. Instead, he appeared just over the judge's bench. When the shimmer completed Elbert fell the short distance directly into the judge's lap. The sudden appearance of Elbert caused the judge and Elbert to clamor to the floor.

"Oops," said Elbert and he attempted, unsuccessfully, to stand up.

"Mr. Caldwell!!" the judge nearly screamed as he gained his feet.

"My apologies, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "It appears that Elbert is not quite as adept at shimmering as most demons."

"That's not true," cried Elbert. "Well, not usually, anyway."

"You Honor, if I may," said Cole. "Elbert simply has trouble with his shimmer when he's nervous. I'm sure you can understand that an appearance in court can cause many demons to become very nervous. I can assure you his appearance was quite unintentional."

"Well," said the judge, "I suppose no harm is done. But he will do no more shimmering while he's in my court. Is that understood?"

"Oh, yes sir," said Elbert. "Completely understood. Absolutely. No question about it. You can count on me, judge. I absolutely will not shimmer again while I'm in your court. You don't have to worry yourself that one little bit."

"Elbert," said Cole. "A simple 'yes sir' will be enough."

"Oh, yeah, right," said Elbert. "Uh, yes sir."

"Very well," said the judge. "Mr. Caldwell, you may proceed."

"Thank you, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "Will you please state your name and occupation for the court?"

"Well," said Elbert nervously, "my name is Elbert Egbert Klinehopper IV. Right now I'm an Associate Professor of Applied Theory and Rhetoric at the Bureaucratic University for Wayward Administrative Associates. I'll probably make full professorship within a few months."

"I have no doubt," said Caldwell. "Are you familiar with the Charmed Ones?"

"Oh, yes," said Elbert. "They're my friends."

"Please tell the court how you know the Charmed Ones," said Caldwell.

"Well," said Elbert hesitantly, "I, uh, sort of stopped by their house for a while once. Cole is my first cousin and he and Phoebe are, well, dating, I guess."

"You stopped by their house?" questioned Caldwell. "Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that you were sent there to steal their Book of Shadows from them?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so," said Elbert. "Tazak sent me to get the Book of Shadows for him. But I didn't. They still have their book. Go ahead. Ask them. They'll tell you I didn't take the book from them."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," said Caldwell. "Exactly what happened when you didn't return with the book to Tazak? Wasn't he upset that you had failed your assignment?"

"Oh, but I didn't," said Elbert. "They helped convince him that I had completed the assignment. Only not in the way that he wanted. But like they told him, he needs to be more specific with his instructions. I was instructed to get the Book of Shadows, which I did. I then gave it to Piper so I did complete the assignment to the letter of my instructions. Even Tazak had to admit that. And I got my promotion just like he promised."

"So Tazak just agreed that you had completed the assignment and gave you the promotion?" questioned Caldwell. "Just like that?"

"Well, not exactly," said Elbert. "They sort of had to persuade him first. But he finally did agree."

"Yes, of course," said Caldwell. "You said they had to persuade him. Don't you mean they threatened him? First with binding you to him for all eternity and then with sending Work Gnomes to Bureaucracy Headquarters?"

"I guess so," said Elbert. "But that's only because Tazak tried to renege on our deal. They only did it so he would honor his word. Which he did."

"Did Tazak ever threaten the Charmed Ones personally?" Caldwell asked.

"I don't know what you mean," said Elbert nervously.

"I mean did he ever threaten them with any type of physical harm?" Caldwell asked.

"Well, no, not really," said Elbert. "They only did what they did to help me out."

"So even though Tazak was no threat to them personally, they still threatened him?" questioned Caldwell. "Without any provocation from Tazak?"

"Since you put it that way," said Elbert. "But like I said, they only did it to help me out. If they hadn't he was going to leave me a Probationary Pre-certified Clerk I. Even though I had completed the assignment he gave me."

"No further questions," said Caldwell. "Pass the witness."

Cole stood up and walked over to the witness stand.

"Now, Elbert," began Cole. "Think carefully. Are you quite sure that Tazak didn't threaten the Charmed Ones in any way?"

"Well, not that I remember," said Elbert. "He was only interested in their Book of Shadows."

"Isn't it true," asked Cole, "that Tazak said that since you had not brought the Book of Shadows to him as he wanted, that he was going to go get it himself?"

"Sure," said Elbert. "I was the only Bureaucracy Demon that would take the assignment. None of the others were interested in trying to get it. It didn't fit in with their duties. Bureaucracy Demons only stick to their duties and their regulations, you know."

"Yes, I know," said Cole. "Wouldn't you say that threatening to get the Book of Shadows would constitute a threat to the Charmed Ones?"

"Objection," said Caldwell. "Belthazor is asking the witness for an opinion. I hardly think that an Associate Professor of Applied Theory and Rhetoric is qualified to address what is or is not a threat to witches."

"On the contrary, Your Honor," said Cole. "This is just the type of situation that a Bureaucracy Demon would be most qualified to address. The witness has just testified that Tazak was threatening to take the Book of Shadows from the Charmed Ones. Their manual of operations, if you will. The rules by which the Charmed Ones protect the innocent and fight evil. I would think that a Bureaucracy Demon would be exactly the type of demon best qualified to speak to this type of situation."

"I agree," said the judge. "The objection is overruled. The witness will answer the question."

"Uh, what was the question?" Elbert asked.

"Wouldn't you say that threatening to get the Book of Shadows would constitute a threat to the Charmed Ones?" Cole repeated.

"Well, yeah," said Elbert. "Like you just said, it's kind of their manual of operations. Without it they wouldn't know about demons and other evil things. And they wouldn't now how to fight them. It would make it real hard for them to do their jobs otherwise."

"So their threat to Tazak," said Cole. "The one about bringing Work Gnomes to Bureaucracy Headquarters. Wasn't that as much to protect themselves as it was to help you?"

"I guess so," said Elbert. "They couldn't let him take their book. It would leave them practically defenseless."

"Thank you," said Cole. "No further questions."

"Redirect, Your Honor," said Caldwell. The judge just nodded. Caldwell walked over to Elbert. "Now, Elbert. Don't the Charmed Ones have the Power of Three? The most powerful good magic in history at their disposal?"

"Sure they do," said Elbert. "It's why so many demons are afraid of them."

"So," continued Caldwell, "with your knowledge of Bureaucracy demons and your knowledge of the Charmed Ones and the Power of Three, wouldn't you say it's possible that they could use that power to protect the Book of Shadows? Even from a Bureaucracy Demon as high in the hierarchy as Tazak?"

"Objection," said Cole. "The witness is not an expert in the Power of Three. He is not qualified to speculate on its affect on a Bureaucracy Demon."

"But the witness is an expert on Bureaucracy Demons," said Caldwell. "As such he is very well qualified to address the affects that specific types of magic can have on a Bureaucracy Demon. Just as a medical doctor can address how a specific substance may affect a human body."

"Objection overruled," said the judge.

"Now, Elbert," said Caldwell. "Isn't it possible that using the Power of Three the Charmed Ones could have found a way to protect the Book of Shadows even from a high level Bureaucracy Demon such as Tazak?"

"I suppose," said Elbert sheepishly. "It is supposed to be a very powerful magic. They couldn't have vanquished Tazak or anything. Bureaucracy Demons can't be vanquished. But I guess it's possible they could have used the Power of Three to protect the book and keep him from getting it."

"Thank you," said Caldwell. "No further questions."

"The witness is excused," said the judge.

Sheepishly Elbert left the witness stand and headed out of the court. As he passed the defense table he grinned at the girls and shrugged. Phoebe smiled back and nodded her head to let him know that they weren't upset with him. Elbert continued out of the courtroom.


	6. Chapter 6

SIX

"Mr. Caldwell, is that all?" the judge asked.

"No, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "The plaintiff has one more witness to call. We call the Seer to the stand."

"Objection, Your Honor," said Cole.

"On what grounds?" Caldwell asked.

"Your Honor, the Seer was vanquished some months ago by the Charmed Ones," said Cole. "As such she is no longer under the jurisdiction of this court."

"That may be," said Caldwell, "but she was the personal confidant to the former Source of All Evil. She has evidence that is crucial to our case. Since this is a civil matter and not a criminal trial we would ask for a little leeway."

"Your Honor," said Cole, "since the Seer, or in this case her spirit, is not under the jurisdiction of this court, there is no guarantee that she would abide by the rules of the court. Including whether she would be honest in answering questions put to her by the counsel for the plaintiff."

"In which case counsel for the defense is well within his rights question the witness himself," said Caldwell. "At any rate the Seer served several Sources for several hundred years. I sincerely doubt that she would deliberately lie, especially under oath. Unless counsel for the defense is suggesting that I would knowingly suborn perjury."

"Byron, I've known you too long to think that," said Cole. "I'm just saying that the Seer was extremely devious in life. And it's a well-known fact that she always had her own agenda for everything she did. I'm just saying we can't discount that even in death she may still have her own agenda."

"Which you are more than welcome to expose, if you can, Cole," said Caldwell.

"Gentlemen," said the judge, "please address you comments to the bench and not each other. As for the objection, Belthazor, unless you can show that the Seer plans to deliberately lie on the stand, I believe Mr. Caldwell should be allowed some latitude here."

"No, Your Honor," said Cole, "I don't know for a fact that she will lie. Only that it is a very distinct possibility that she will, that's all."

"In that case," said the judge, "the Seer may testify."

The Seer suddenly faded into view on the witness stand. She appeared almost exactly as she had in life. With the exceptions that she was partially transparent and glowed slightly. Both indications that she was not a living being but a spirit.

"Seer," said the judge, "I want to inform you that you are under the same restriction as any other witness in these proceedings. You are required to answer all questions directly and honestly."

"I understand," said the Seer.

"Now," said Caldwell, "you were the Seer for the former Source of All Evil, is that correct?"

"It is," said the Seer. "And for several before him. I eventually rose to be a sort of personal confidant and advisor to the Source. Among others."

"Would it be a fair assessment to say that you were one of his primary advisors?" Caldwell asked.

"I suppose so," said the Seer. "In certain matters I was his primary advisor. He also had advisors he would consult on other matters that did not concern me, however."

"I'm sure," said Caldwell. "Did he often confide in you regarding the Charmed Ones?"

"On many occasions," said the Seer. "Especially regarding any premonitions or visions I had of them."

"Tell this court," said Caldwell, "what was his reaction when he first learned that the Charmed Ones had appeared?"

"He was understandably concerned," said the Seer. "It had been prophesied for centuries that they would come. And that their power would be considerable. He was concerned about how they might upset his plans."

"What was his first order of business concerning them?" Caldwell asked.

"He ordered his underlings to watch them," said the Seer. "He wasn't sure how powerful they were and he wanted to learn just how strong they really were."

"So he didn't order them to be killed?" Caldwell asked.

"No," said the Seer. "In fact, he attempted to turn one of them evil. To convert their power for his use."

"And was this the only time he attempted to convert their power for his use?" Caldwell asked.

"No," said the Seer. "He made many such attempts. But each time they were able to thwart his attempts."

"And was there ever a time when the Charmed Ones went after the Source?" Caldwell asked.

"Yes, they did," said the Seer. "In fact he often confided in me that he believed that their attacks against his underlings were attempts to get at him. He became increasingly paranoid with each vanquishing performed by the Charmed Ones."

"So he felt that the attacks by the Charmed Ones against lower level demons was actually directed at weakening him for their final assault on him?" Caldwell asked.

"Objection," said Cole. "The witness has no way of knowing what was in the Source's mind."

"Unless the Source communicated what was in his mind to the witness," said Caldwell. "Which the witness has all ready testified he did on many occasions."

"Objection overruled," said the judge. "The witness will answer the question."

"That's exactly what he believed," said the Seer. "He told me on several occasions that he felt the attacks were aimed directly at him."

"And that he became more and more paranoid as these attacks continued to escalate?" questioned Caldwell.

"Precisely," said the Seer.

"No further questions," said Caldwell. "Pass the witness."

"Seer," said Cole, standing up, "isn't it true that most of the vanquishings you mentioned were merely the Charmed Ones performing their duty of protecting the innocent?"

"I'm sure that's what they told themselves," smirked the Seer.

"Please, just answer the question," said Cole.

"I have no doubt that is how they justified it to themselves," said the Seer. "But as I said, the Source believed it was a personal attack on him. Including when they converted you to the side of good."

"I would remind you that it was my decision to become good," said Cole. "It certainly wasn't a plan by the Charmed Ones to get to the Source."

"But that is what the Source believed," said the Seer. "Isn't that is the crux of the plaintiff's case? That he believed their attacks were directed at him to provoke an attack so they could vanquish him?"

"I'll ask the questions," said Cole. "Did the Charmed Ones ever attempt a direct confrontation against the Source prior to his attack on them at their manor?"

"Not to my knowledge," said the Seer.

"And to the best of your knowledge," said Cole, "weren't virtually all of the attacks and vanquishings the Charmed Ones performed directed solely at demons who were either attacking them personally or attacking an innocent? Someone whom the Charmed Ones are dictated to protect?"

"I suppose," said the Seer. "But it doesn't negate the fact that the Source _believed_ that the attacks were directed at him personally."

"Your Honor," said Cole.

"Seer, please restrict your answers to the question without editorializing," said the judge.

"Yes, Your Honor," said the Seer.

"So it's your testimony," said Cole, "that you have no knowledge of any attacks made by the Charmed Ones that were directed solely at the Source of All Evil."

"Yes, that's my testimony," said the Seer.

"No further questions," said Cole.

"Mr. Caldwell, do you wish to redirect?" the judge asked.

"No, Your Honor," said Caldwell.

"The witness is excused," said the judge.

As silently as she arrived the Seer simply vanished from the witness stand.

"Your Honor," said Caldwell, "the plaintiff rests her case."

"Very well," said the judge. "Belthazor, you may proceed with your case."

Cole looked at the girl's before he began to present his case.


	7. Chapter 7

SEVEN

"I call Piper Halliwell to the stand," said Cole.

Nervously Piper got up and walked over to the witness stand. Once she was seated Cole walked over and stood next to the stand.

"Piper, you've sat in the courtroom and listened to the testimony given by the witnesses for the plaintiff," said Cole. "How would you characterize their testimony?"

"Well," said Piper nervously, "I guess that technically it was mostly true. The facts are accurate but there were a lot of assumptions made by many of the witnesses."

"Are you saying that some of them have lied?" Cole asked.

"No, not lied exactly," said Piper. "But I think some of them made some inaccurate assumptions. Not the least of which is that we provoked the Source into attacking us so we could vanquish him."

"Are you saying you didn't provoke the Source?" questioned Cole.

"Absolutely not," said Piper. "In the first place, we were terrified of him. He had the entire power of the Underworld at his disposal. Even though we later found out that it was our destiny to vanquish him, we had no way of knowing if we could even do it."

"And all the vanquishings you and your sisters are responsible for," said Cole. "It's a matter of public record that you've vanquished more than the normal number of demons even for three witches. Why have you vanquished so many demons?"

"I guess you could say it was our job," said Piper. "We didn't ask to be born witches. And there were many times I wish I had never been born with any powers at all. That I was nothing more than an ordinary mortal. Both of my sisters have felt the same way on numerous occasions. But we were born witches and a lot of the vanquishings were in self-defense. Demons would attack us and we had to vanquish them to keep from being killed."

"What about the other vanquishings?" Cole asked. "The demons that weren't after you. Do you deny that you vanquished demons that were no threat to you personally?"

"No," said Piper. "We're the Charmed Ones. We've been tasked with fighting evil and protecting the innocent. It often becomes necessary to vanquish demons to accomplish that mandate. We only vanquished demons who were a threat to an innocent that couldn't protect themselves otherwise."

"Piper, did you at any time attempt to provoke the Source into attacking you for the express purpose of vanquishing him?" Cole asked.

"No, we never did," said Piper. "All we ever really wanted was to be left alone. If the demons had left us alone we would have left them alone. But there always seemed to be some demon that thought they could make a name for themselves by killing us. We simply had no choice but to defend ourselves or someone else."

"Your witness," said Cole, returning to his seat at the defense table.

"Now, Ms. Halliwell," said Caldwell, walking over to the witness stand, "do you honestly expect this jury to believe that you held no animosity toward demons? You're a witch, after all. Doesn't that mean by the very definition of the word that you are mortal enemies with demons?"

"I guess so," said Piper. "But it wasn't my choice. I was sort of born into it you might say."

"And you've never vanquished a demon out of anger or hatred?" questioned Caldwell.

"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly," said Piper. "I'm only human after all. I do loose my temper from time to time."

"Like the time when your older sister Prue died," said Caldwell. "Didn't you go on a demon hunting binge that nearly caused you to turn into a Fury?"

"Yes," said Piper uneasily. "I was grieving. I had just lost my older sister. We were very close. When she died I sort of lost it. If it wasn't for my other sisters and my husband I don't know what would have happened."

"You would have become a Fury," responded Caldwell.

"Objection," said Cole. "Counsel is testifying, Your Honor."

"Objection sustained," said the judge. "Mr. Caldwell, please stick to asking questions only."

"Piper," said Caldwell, "what would you have done if you had encountered the Source during your 'period of grieving' as you put it?"

"I would probably have ripped his heart out with my bare hands," said Piper deliberately.

"So it's fair to categorize your feelings toward the Source as hatred?" Caldwell asked.

"I suppose so," said Piper.

"Intense hatred?" questioned Caldwell.

"He had just murdered my sister," retorted Piper. "How would you have felt?"

"I'm not the one on trial today," said Caldwell. "So, when exactly did you get over your hatred of the Source?"

"I don't understand," said Piper.

"It's quite simple," said Caldwell. "At what point did you stop blaming the Source for your sister's death?"

"I never did," said Piper.

"You still hold him responsible for her death?" questioned Caldwell. "Even though he's been vanquished?"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Piper. "He did kill her after all even if he didn't do it personally. It was done on his orders."

"And you still hate him for that, don't you?" Caldwell asked.

"Yes," said Piper. "It's not something you get over easily if at all."

"And yet by your own testimony you said it was an intense hatred," said Caldwell. "As you put it, you would have ripped out his heart with your bare hands. And you expect this jury to believe that you wouldn't have done whatever it took to make him pay for her death? Even to the point of provoking him to attack you so you could make him pay for what he did to her?"

"Objection," said Cole. "Asked and answered."

"I'll allow it," said the judge. "The witness will answer the question."

"Yes, I do still hate him," said Piper. "And I do still hold him responsible for her death. But as I said, at no time did we ever provoke him into attacking us just so we could vanquish him. If we had wanted to do that we wouldn't have beat around the bush about it. We would have gone to the Underworld and vanquished him if that's what we wanted to do."

"So let me see if I have this straight," said Caldwell. "Your sister is violently and brutally murdered. You know who murdered her and you even admit that you hate him for it. And yet even with all the power at your disposal you simply go about your life as if nothing had happened. You never once tried to make the demon that murdered your beloved sister pay for what he did. Even though you had the reconstituted Power of Three at your disposal. A power that by all accounts should have been powerful enough to vanquish even the Source of All Evil. Do you honestly expect this jury to believe that you would simply forget about the Source after all that?"

"Look," said Piper, trying to hold her temper in check, "I've all ready said we weren't sure if we could vanquish him. We've been told that the Power of Three is the most powerful good magic that's ever existed. But there was no guarantee that it would be powerful enough to vanquish the Source. Yes, I wanted to make him pay for what he did. And I'm not sorry he's gone. But I wasn't crazy enough to deliberately go after him. For all we knew that was pure suicide."

"Not even when you went on your demon killing spree after your sister died?" questioned Caldwell.

"I don't know what you mean," said Piper.

"Well," said Caldwell, "if the Source had killed your sister, why go after lower level demons to avenge her death? Demons who by all accounts had nothing to do with your sister's death."

"I . . . I don't know," said Piper. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I was so filled with anger at what had happened. I just lashed out at any demon I could find."

"Even knowing that the one demon that had murdered your sister was sitting safely in the Underworld in all likelihood gloating at the great victory he had just won over you," said Caldwell.

"I don't know," said Piper. "Like I said, I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Isn't it possible," questioned Caldwell, "that even subconsciously you felt that if you vanquished enough demons that the Source would soon grow tired of the vanquishings? That he would be feeling confident at killing your sister that he would eventually come himself to stop you from vanquishing his underlings?"

"I don't know," said Piper. "I wasn't thinking that clearly. I just wanted to vanquish as many demons as I could. To repay them for all the years they had bothered us and for Prue's death."

"To repay them for Prue's death," repeated Caldwell. "But the only way to adequately do that would be to vanquish the demon that had actually caused her death. Isn't that true?"

"I . . . I don't know," said Piper.

"Well, until the Source had been vanquished wouldn't her death go unavenged no matter how many demons you vanquished?" Caldwell asked. "I mean, let's face it. You just say you wanted someone to pay for Prue's death. Doesn't that necessitate that the Source had to be vanquished? So that Prue's death would be paid in full? So long as her killer lived, wouldn't her death go unavenged?"

"I guess so," said Piper.

"Well then I would submit to you," said Caldwell, "that whether consciously or sub-consciously, your desire to make the Source pay for the murder of your sister was a driving force in your life. That you would do whatever it took to make sure that he paid for what he had done, not only to your sister, but also to your entire family. And that the only way to accomplish that was to get him to attack you in the manor where you and your sisters are the strongest. Can you honestly say that this is not the case?"

Piper just glared at Caldwell. She knew they hadn't deliberately tried to provoke the Source into attacking them at the manor. But was it possible that Caldwell was right? Could she have subconsciously attacked demons to provoke the Source? Caldwell was right. She would have done anything to punish the Source for murdering Prue. Could she possibly be guilty of what Caldwell has accused her?

"Ms. Halliwell, please answer the question," said the judge.

"That's okay, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "I believe the question has been answered. I have nothing further for this witness."

"Your Honor," said Cole, "I would request a short recess so that Ms. Halliwell can compose herself."

"We're in recess for ten minutes," said the judge, pounding his gavel on the bench.


	8. Chapter 8

EIGHT

"I don't know what happened in there," said Piper in the hallway during the recess. "The way Caldwell was talking it actually did sound like we baited the Source. Could he be right? Could I have subconsciously provoked the Source into attacking us so I could punish him for what he did to Prue?"

"That's not possible," said Leo. "You know good and well that isn't what happened. You never did anything to provoke the Source except that you were witches. That's all he needed."

"Leo is right," said Cole. "The Source attacked you because he was afraid of your power. That's what provoked him to attack. And you can't be held accountable for that. It's not like you had any control over getting your powers."

"That's not what it looked like to me in there," said Paige. "Everything those witnesses said did have some truth to them, just like Piper said. Technically, they were telling the truth. But the way that lawyer tells it makes it look like we were guilty."

"Cole, how are we doing?" Phoebe asked. "Tell us the truth. If we're going to be losing our powers we need to be prepared for it."

"It's not looking very good," said Cole. "Paige is right. The spin that Byron is putting on it makes you look as guilty as hell. And to be honest I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it."

"So we're going to lose?" asked Piper. "And we'll lose our powers when we do?"

"The trial isn't over yet," said Cole. "I just have to come up with a way to turn things around?"

"How do you plan to do that?" Leo asked.

"What about the Elders?" Paige questioned. "Couldn't they do something about all this?"

"I'm afraid not," said Leo. "Technically, they have no jurisdiction here. And they're bound to follow the dictates of the court just as anyone else is."

"H . . . hewwo?"

They all turned to see Elbert standing a few feet from them looking even more sheepishly than normal.

"Elbert," said Phoebe, managing a smile. "It's good to see you again."

"I wasn't sure you'd want to talk to me," said Elbert. "After what I said in there."

"Don't feel bad," said Piper. "You told the truth. We can't fault you for that. It's not your fault that the lawyer twisted what you said."

"So you aren't angry with me?" Elbert asked.

"No, we aren't," said Paige. "Like Piper said, you told the truth. That's what you're supposed to do in court. We know you weren't trying to hurt us. It's that lawyer who made what you said sound bad, that's all."

"Good," said Elbert. "Like I said in there, you're my friends. I wouldn't want you thinking badly of me or thinking I was trying to hurt you or anything."

"We don't think that, Elbert," said Piper.

"I didn't want to do it, you know," said Elbert. "He made me say those things."

"We know, Elbert," said Cole. "It wasn't you. It's Caldwell. He's very good at what he does. He always was. He seems to have a natural talent for twisting people's words."

"Kind of like someone else I know," said Phoebe, looking at Cole.

"It's a talent," said Cole. "Can't blame a guy for what he was born with."

"I wasn't blaming you," said Phoebe. "Just commenting that the two of you do seem to be very much alike."

"Yeah but he's just a lawyer," said Elbert. "You're better than he is, Pudge. Er, I mean Cole. You're the best lawyer in the Underworld. No one can beat you."

"That's not exactly true, Elbert," said Cole. "Oh, I know I'm one hell of a lawyer. But no matter how good you are there's always someone better around. Byron was always better than I was."

"Well you'd better think of something quick," said Leo. "If you lose this case the girls will lose their powers and that's just not acceptable. You know that."

"I know," said Cole. "And I'm doing the best I can. And we're not finished yet."

"Well, can't you just order the judge to drop the case?" Elbert asked. "After all, you were the Source of All Evil. Still are technically, I guess. That means you're in charge of the Underworld. And the judge is a demon. Doesn't that mean he has to do what you tell him?"

"Not in this case," said Cole. "It doesn't work that way in the Otherworld Court system. Technically the judge isn't really a demon. And not even the Source has any more authority here than the Elders do. The judge and jury have to be impartial so that a fair verdict can . . . ."

Suddenly a strange look came across Cole's face. He simply stared into space for a moment.

"Hey, are you okay?" Piper asked. "You look like you've got a bad case of heartburn."

"The judge is back," said the bailiff, sticking his head out of the courtroom door. "Court is back in session."

"We'll be right there," said Cole. He turned to Phoebe. "Phoebe, I'm going to call you to the stand next."

"Okay," said Phoebe. "Anything in particular you want me to say?"

"Just answer my questions honestly," said Cole. "That's all that's expected of you. But I have to warn you it may drag up some unpleasant memories. I can't help that but I have to do everything I can to win this case for you."

"I understand," said Phoebe. "I'm ready."

"Good," said Cole. "Let's get back into court. The judge isn't going to wait long for us."

Together the group turned and headed into the courtroom to resume their defense of the charges against them.


	9. Chapter 9

NINE

"How nice of you to finally join us, Belthazor," said the judge, more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"My apologies, Your Honor," said Cole. "I was delayed on business of the court."

"You may call your next witness," said the judge.

"I call Phoebe Halliwell," said Cole.

"Your Honor," said Caldwell, "if Belthazor plans to call all the sisters as witnesses we will stipulate that they will all testify to the same thing. In the interest of time we don't believe it necessary to have multiple witnesses stating the same thing."

"As I'm sure my learned colleague is aware," said Cole, "all witnesses have the right to testify, even if they are testifying to the same thing. But that is not the purpose for my calling this witness."

"Belthazor is correct," said the judge. "Ms. Halliwell will take the stand."

Phoebe walked up to the witness stand and sat down. She felt conspicuous with everyone looking at her. She was also very uncomfortable. She knew that whatever she said Caldwell would most likely twist her words on his cross-examination.

"Phoebe," said Cole, "you've been a Charmed One for how long?"

"About five years," said Phoebe.

"And in all that time," continued Cole, "the plaintiff claims that the Source never actively attacked you without provocation. Is that accurate?"

"I would say not," said Phoebe. "He sent demons after us on more than one occasion. Without any provocation from us."

"Can you give the court an example of one of these instances?" Cole asked.

"Well, you, for one," said Phoebe. "When we first met you, you had been sent by the Source to kill us."

"And you know this how?" Cole asked.

"You told us," said Phoebe.

"Objection," said Caldwell. "Hearsay."

"Your Honor," said Cole, "the witness is simply stating what was told to her. It is not offered as factual but it does go to the state of mind of the defendant."

"I'll allow it," said the judge.

"You said I told you the Source had sent me to kill you," said Cole.

"That's right," said Phoebe. "You said you were a mercenary and the Source had hired to you kill us."

"Obviously I didn't kill you," said Cole. "Why is that? If I had been sent to kill you why didn't I finish the job?"

"Well," said Phoebe uneasily, "it's because we fell in love. You claimed you changed from evil to good because of it. You even vanquished the Triad because of it."

"Yes," said Cole. "And we were eventually married, isn't that true?"

"Yes," said Phoebe. "I didn't know it at the time but it was a dark ceremony. I didn't know that you had changed back to evil or I wouldn't have gone through with it."

"I changed back to evil?" questioned Cole. "Just like that?"

"I . . . I don't really know," said Phoebe. "I can't really say why you changed back. Only that you did."

"And exactly when did this happen?" Cole asked.

"Just after we vanquished the Source," said Phoebe.

"But you weren't aware of this initially, were you?" Cole asked.

"No, I wasn't," said Phoebe. "Paige suspected and tried to tell us but we wouldn't listen to her. If we had things might have turned out differently."

"How so?" Cole asked.

"We would probably have vanquished you earlier than we did," said Phoebe.

"You vanquished me?" said Cole. "But I'm standing right here. How could you have vanquished me if I'm standing in front of you now?"

"Your Honor," said Caldwell, "it's common knowledge that Belthazor was protected in the Wasteland because he has a soul. And that he was able to gather enough power from other vanquished demons to allow him to return to the mortal plane. I fail to see where this line of questioning is going. What does it have to do with the wrongful death of the Source?"

"I must admit, Belthazor, I'm perplexed myself," said the judge. "I assume you are going somewhere with this line of questioning."

"Of course, Your Honor," said Cole. "If you will bear with me for just a few more moments my point will become quite clear."

"Very well," said the judge. "But get to it quickly."

"Yes, Your Honor," said Cole. "Now, Phoebe. You testified that you had to vanquish me when I changed back to evil. Surely there was more to it than simply that. Simply being evil wouldn't have been enough to cause you to vanquish someone."

"No, it wasn't," said Phoebe. "We had to vanquish you when you tried to kill Piper and Paige. You claimed it was the only way to put the past behind us and get on with our lives."

"I tried to kill you?" Cole questioned. "What precipitated this attack? Had you done anything that would have provoked me to try to kill them?"

"Not really," said Phoebe. "We were living in the Underworld at the time and my sisters were trying to get me back. They thought they could persuade me to return to the mortal realm but you wouldn't have any of it. You said that killing them was for the best and that I'd eventually come to understand that."

"But you vanquished me instead," said Cole.

"Yes," Phoebe choked out. "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I knew you were thoroughly evil by that time. And they were my sisters. I had to choose between you or them. I chose them."

"Thank you, Phoebe," said Cole. "No further questions. Your witness."

"Your Honor," said Caldwell, "I still fail to see how this has any bearing on the case at hand. I have no questions for the witness at this time."

"Very well," said the judge. "The witness is excused."

"Caldwell is right," Leo whispered as Phoebe returned to the witness table. "What does this have to do with the wrongful death of the Source?"

"Trust me," said Cole, "it's going to play a very important part in our case. In legal terms it's called laying a foundation. A foundation for evidence I'm about to present."

"Your Honor," said Caldwell, "I see absolutely no connection between this testimony and the wrongful death of the Source. I would ask that the entire testimony be stricken from the record and that the jury be instructed to disregard it in its entirety."

"Belthazor, I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Caldwell," said the judge. "You said you were going to show relevance of this testimony to the case at hand. I don't see any relevance with the claims maintained by the plaintiff."

"Your Honor," said Cole, "as I said, I will show a connection between this testimony and the wrongful death suit. I plan to do exactly that with my next witness."

"Very well," said the judge. "I'll reserve ruling on plaintiff's motion for the moment. But if you do not show relevance between Ms. Halliwell's testimony and this case I'm going to sustain plaintiff's motion to strike the entire testimony."

"Understood, Your Honor," said Cole.

"Now, Belthazor," said the judge. "Call your next witness."

"The defense recalls the Seer to the stand," said Cole.


	10. Chapter 10

TEN

"I will remind you," said the judge once the Seer had appeared in the witness stand, "that you are still under oath and the same rules apply as to when you first testified."

"I understand," said the Seer.

"Belthazor, you may proceed," said the judge.

"Now, Seer," said Cole. "You testified earlier that the Source became increasingly paranoid about the Charmed Ones."

"That is correct," said the Seer.

"Would it be fair to categorize this paranoia as obsessive?" Cole asked.

"Quite fair," said the Seer. "In fact it got to the point that that's all he thought about."

"Was it an obsession with the Charmed One's themselves or their powers?" Cole asked.

"Both," said the Seer. "At first he was only concerned about their powers. But with each vanquishing the Charmed Ones performed he became more and more convinced they were after him personally."

"I see," said Cole. "And what actions did the Source perform that led you to the conclusion that he was paranoid about them?"

"His actions became increasing erratic," said the Seer. "He would often neglect plans that he had spent months or years on in an attempt to rid himself of their scourge."

"Anything else?" Cole asked.

"He would talk about them incessantly," said the Source. "About how they plagued him and taunted him. Even how they had turned you good which he considered a personal affront."

"Did there come a time when he decided to do away with this threat that he perceived the Charmed Ones presented to him?" Cole asked.

"Yes," said the Seer. "He told me that their threat to him was growing every day and if he didn't do something about it then they might become too powerful for him to deal with later."

"Please tell the court," said Cole, "exactly what the Source planned to do about this growing threat."

"He decided to release the Hollow," said the Seer. "Despite advice to the contrary by every one of his advisors, including me."

"We're all aware of the Hollow and the danger it presents," said Cole. "Did you try to talk the Source out of releasing the Hollow?"

"Of course," said the Seer. "I reminded him how dangerous the Hollow was and why it had been locked away millennia ago. I told him that if he released the Hollow he risked destroying us all, good and evil."

"And what was his response?" Cole asked.

"He said he didn't care," said the Seer. "That if that's what it took to destroy the Charmed Ones then so be it."

"So he risked the destruction of all magical beings just to destroy what he perceived as the greatest threat against him," said Cole. "Not the workings of a rational mind."

"It is a general consensus in the Underworld that the Source was completely mad by that time," said the Seer. "A point of view with which I agreed."

"And yet you did nothing to try to prevent him from releasing the Hollow," said Cole.

"He was the Source of All Evil," said the Seer. "Regardless of the circumstances, he was still ruler of the Underworld. We had no choice but to follow his orders."

"And he did release the Hollow, didn't he?" Cole asked.

"Yes, he did," said the Seer. "We were all afraid we'd be destroyed when he did."

"What happened?" Cole asked. "Obviously we weren't all destroyed and presumably the Hollow was locked back in its prison."

"That is correct," said the Seer. "To prevent us all from being destroyed I persuaded you to take the Hollow into you. You used it to help the Charmed Ones vanquish the Source and then we used the incantation on the prison to lock the Hollow away again. Hopefully for all eternity this time."

"We?" questioned Cole. "Who were we?"

"Myself and Phoebe," said the Seer. "It required the combined power of both good and evil to lock the Hollow away. Once we did that all magical beings everywhere were once again protected from it."

"And just how was that possible?" Cole asked. "Doesn't the Hollow drain the magic of magical beings from them?"

"That is correct," said the Seer.

"And the Source used this power to drain the magic from the Charmed Ones," said Cole.

"Two of them," said the Seer. "The youngest and the oldest. Phoebe still had her powers intact. That was how we were able to once again lock the Hollow into its prison."

"Isn't it true that in order for the Hollow to maintain control of the powers it drains from its victims that it must be in possession of a physical form?" Cole asked.

"Objection," said Caldwell. "It has not been established that the Seer is an expert in the Hollow."

"Your Honor," said Cole, "the information is a matter of public knowledge in the Underworld. A fact of which my esteemed colleague is well aware. It's comparable to asking if shimmering or casting energy balls is a basic demonic power."

"Objection overruled," said the judge. "But please stick to the areas of expertise of the witness."

"I will, Your Honor," said Belthazor. "Seer, please answer the question."

"You're absolutely correct," said the Seer. "The Hollow cannot use its power on its own. It must 'possess', if you will, a physical form. That form then uses the power of the Hollow to drain the powers of any being that uses its power against the Hollow."

"And once the physical form of the Source was vanquished," asked Cole, "what happened to all the powers he had absorbed?"

"Why, they were returned to the beings he had absorbed them from," said the Seer.

"And the powers of the Source," said Cole. "His physical form no longer existed. What happened to them?"

"As I told Phoebe when she asked the same question," said the Seer, "they went into the void."

"And what void would that be?" Cole asked. "This court is acutely aware of more than one void. Could you be a bit more specific?"

The Seer looked nervously around the courtroom. It was obvious she had gone to great lengths to not give some specific bit of information. She was still being very devious. A trait she had demonstrated quite often in life.

"Seer?" questioned Cole. "Exactly which void are you referring to?"

"The void in you, Belthazor," said the Seer. "When your demonic half was stripped from you it left a void in you. You were born half demon. When that half was stripped from you half of who you were was also stripped. The powers of the Source found a new home in you. One of its own kind."

"One of its own kind?" questioned Cole. "Not one of their own kind. You said the powers, plural, of the Source had found a home in one of its, singular, own kind."

"A slip of the tongue," said the Seer.

"Is that really what it was?" Cole asked. "Or is it possible that you actually meant something else?"

"I suppose I could have had a different meaning in mind," said the Seer coyly.

"I thought so," said Cole. "What was the different meaning you had in mind?"

"Well," said the Seer, "the Source is unlike any other demon in the Underworld. Most demons are hundreds of years old before they become the Source of All Evil. It usually requires that length of time for them to build their power to a sufficient level to challenge the current Source."

"Surely there are demons as old or older than the Source," said Cole.

"Of course," said the Seer. "But age is only part of it. It also requires power to challenge a Source. That's why only the most powerful demons could ever attempt such a feat."

"And not all are successful, are they?" Cole asked.

"Actually," said the Seer, "most fail in the attempt. Only rarely does a demon possess the necessary power to challenge a reigning Source and be successful."

"Why is that, Seer?" Cole asked.

"Because the Ascension ceremony that installs a Source to power gives that demon even greater power," said the Seer. "The entire demonic hierarchy instills in the new Source a portion of their power. That's why the Source of All Evil is so powerful. He literally has the entire power of the Underworld at his disposal."

"Is that supposedly what had caused me to revert back to evil?" Cole asked. "This infusion of the great power possessed by the Source?"

"Partially, perhaps," said the Seer. "It cannot be disputed that such a great amount of power being infused into a being can cause a great imbalance in that being. Most often this imbalance manifests itself in the form of evil."

"You said it was only partially responsible," said Cole.

"Yes," said the Seer. "For the most part, being good or evil requires a conscious choice, this infusion of power notwithstanding. But the infusion of power you received from the Source could not account totally for your reconversion to evil. You had been evil for more than a century before the infusion. And you had some considerable power before that. So the infusion of such power would not have been as much a shock on you as it might have been on another being."

"So how would you account for my supposed reconversion to evil?" Cole asked.

"I suppose that technically, you didn't," said the Seer.

"Wait a minute," said Cole. "We've heard testimony from Phoebe that after the Source was vanquished I turned evil again. She even testified that she and her sisters had to vanquish me because I was threatening to kill her sisters."

"I am not disputing those facts occurred," said the Seer. "I was there. And I know for a fact the Charmed Ones did vanquish you for just that reason."

"But you just testified that I didn't turn back to evil," said Cole. "If I hadn't turned back to evil what could possibly compel me to try to kill two of the Charmed Ones?"

"Objection," said Caldwell. "Calls for speculation on the part of the witness."

"Sustained," said the judge.

"I'll rephrase," said Cole. "Seer. Do you have any personal knowledge that would account for me trying to kill two of the Charmed Ones after the Source was vanquished?"

"Actually, I do," said the Seer. "When the Source came to me with his plan to release the Hollow, I attempted to dissuade him from doing so. But as I said, he wouldn't listen to anyone, least of all me. But even in his delusional state he realized he might not be victorious against the Charmed Ones. So he instructed me to provide a contingency plan for him."

"What kind of contingency plan?" Cole asked.

"Some way to outsmart the Charmed Ones even if they should be successful against him," said the Seer.

"And just what type of contingency plan did you come up with?" Cole asked.

"A contingent transmigration spell," said the Seer.

"Would you explain to the court just what exactly a contingent transmigration spell is?" Cole asked.

"Actually, it's quite simple," said the Seer. "It's a very simple but extremely complicated spell. To my knowledge it's only been used a very few times in the past. It's a spell that, if anything should happen to the recipient, causes their spirit to transmigrate from their physical form to another form. It's a very drastic means by which someone can actually cheat death, at least for a while."

"So you used this contingent transmigration spell on the Source?" questioned Cole.

"Yes," said the Seer. "At his insistence I cast the spell on him just before he went to the Halliwell manor to confront the Charmed Ones. And as we are all aware, the Charmed Ones won that encounter."

"What exactly happened after that?" Cole asked. "When the Source was vanquished. What affect did your spell have on him then?"

"It caused his spirit to transmigrate into the nearest demon with insufficient power to resist him," said the Seer. "Higher level demons would have been capable of resisting him. But a low enough level demon would not have the necessary power to resist being possessed by his spirit."

"And which demon did the Source find to possess?" Cole asked.

"You, Belthazor," said the Seer. "His spirit entered and possessed you."


	11. Chapter 11

ELEVEN

"Objection, Your Honor," said Caldwell. "The Seer just testified that the spell was designed to cause the spirit of the Source to enter a lower level demon. Belthazor is considered an upper level demon and according to her own testimony would have had the sufficient power to resist the possession. How can she be so sure it was Belthazor the Source supposedly entered?"

"Because," said the Seer before Cole could answer, "I designed the spell to cause the Source's spirit to enter Belthazor. It is true that Belthazor was an upper level demon. But as I testified earlier, Belthazor had been stripped from Cole. He no longer had his demonic powers. Because he is genetically half demon the spirit of the Source would have recognized him as one of its own without the power to resist such a possession."

"Objection overruled," said the judge.

"So you're saying I was possessed by the spirit of the Source of All Evil," said Cole.

"Precisely," said the Seer. "Complete with all of his powers and knowledge."

"Exactly what affect would this have had on me personally?" Cole asked.

"Just what happened," said the Seer. "The power of the Source overpowered you and subjugated your own personality. You would have been submerged beneath the personality of the Source."

"So your testimony is that it was actually the Source, not me, that attempted to kill Piper and Paige forcing them to vanquish me?" Cole asked.

"Yes," said the Seer. "You had chosen to be good. I couldn't risk that you would continue to be good once you received the powers of the Source. His spirit would have taken control of your body and he would continue to live on in you."

"And that's exactly what happened, isn't it?" asked Cole.

"Yes," said the Seer. "Initially the Source had trouble controlling you. Your human half proved to be much stronger than either the Source or I had anticipated. It took him a while to completely submerge your personality so that he could control your body. But he was eventually successful. Otherwise you would never have tried to kill the sisters. Your love for your witch and the desire not to cause her undue pain would have prevented such an action."

"I want you to think very carefully about your response to my next question," said Cole. "The entire outcome to these proceedings may well rest on your answer. Is it your testimony that after the Charmed Ones vanquished the Source of All Evil that his spirit left his physical form and entered me?"

"That's precisely what happened," said the Seer. "It was the only way to ensure that the Source would continue to rule the Underworld regardless of the outcome of the battle with the witches."

"So you're saying that even though his physical form had been vanquished, he continued to live on in me?" Cole asked. "Eventually rising to once again rule the Underworld until the Charmed Ones were forced to vanquish me out of self-preservation?"

"Yes," said the Seer. "You had betrayed the Underworld and the leaders you had served for more than a century. It seemed only fitting that the Source should use you to continue to rule the Underworld."

"Your Honor," said Cole, "I move for an immediate dismissal of all charges and complaints against my clients."

"I object," said Caldwell. "The Seer's testimony does not negate the charges leveled by my client. That the Charmed Ones deliberately provoked the Source into attacking them for the express purpose of destroying him. They have as much as admitted they destroyed him. And it is our position that we have demonstrated that they did provoke him into the attack that caused his destruction. A dismissal at this point is not warranted."

"On the contrary," said Cole. "It is the plaintiff's position that her mate was vanquished by the Charmed Ones which is the basis for the wrongful death suit. However, based on the testimony of the Seer, it is quite clear that the Source was not in fact vanquished but only his body was destroyed. He continued to live on inside me thereby proving that he was not actually vanquished. If he wasn't vanquished then there are no grounds for a wrongful death suit."

"Mr. Caldwell," said the judge, "Belthazor is quite correct. The definition of a wrongful death under the legal system is defined as the death of sentient being caused by another's negligence. Since the Seer has testified that the Source did not die during the vanquishing there can be no wrongful death in this instance. Unless you can provide evidence to the contrary."

"Your Honor," said Caldwell, "the actual time of death is not a matter of contention here. By the testimony of the Charmed Ones themselves, the Seer, even their attorney, Belthazor, they eventually did vanquish the Source when they vanquished Belthazor. We still contend that our original complaints are valid on their face and a dismissal is not warranted."

"However," said Cole, "after the Source possessed me, Phoebe and I were married. As such that would make her my next of kin and the next of kin de facto of the Source, since he was in possession of my body. Even assuming that all of the plaintiff's allegations were true – which we certainly do not stipulate – it is the next of kin who has the authority to bring a wrongful death suit. Leshna would have become just another of the Source's underlings once Phoebe and I were married and therefore has no legal standing to file such a suit. It's black letter law, Your Honor."

"Except that in the mortal realm you cannot be legally married to two people at the same time," countered Caldwell. "If Belthazor had married Ms. Halliwell when he was legally married to Leshna, his marriage to Ms. Halliwell would not have been legal on the mortal realm."

"That's true," said Cole. "However, Cole Turner was not married to Leshna. The Source was. And as far as the mortal law was concerned it was Cole Turner that married Phoebe. But in the Underworld it is perfectly legal for a demon to have more than one mate. In fact, most high level demons do have a number of mates."

"Well, if Ms. Halliwell was married to Cole Turner, she couldn't very well be legally married to the Source on the mortal realm, now could she?" asked Caldwell.

"Not on the mortal realm, no," said Cole. "Mortals do not recognize dual personalities within the same physical form except as a mental illness. However, in the Underworld there are beings comprised of dual or multiple personalities and under Underworld law if they are married to one of the personalities they are considered as being married to all the personalities."

"Well, if dual personalities in the same form is considered mental illness on the mortal realm," Caldwell said, "that would still make his marriage to Ms. Halliwell illegal. Someone on the mortal realm suffering from a mental illness cannot consent to marriage."

"Which has not been established in a mortal court," responded Cole. "Until such time as it is my marriage to Phoebe is considered legal. And as I've all ready stated, according to Underworld law that would mean she was also legally married to the former Source of All Evil in the Underworld."

"Quite right, Belthazor," said the judge. "Mr. Caldwell, unless you can produce evidence that the marriage between Belthazor and Phoebe Halliwell was not valid, I'm afraid your client has no legal standing in this matter. Underworld law is quite clear in this matter."

"No, Your Honor," said Caldwell dejectedly. "To the best of my knowledge the marriage between Belthazor and Phoebe Halliwell was legal in both the Otherworld realm and the mortal realm."

"Very well," said the judge. "Pursuant to applicable Underworld law I hereby dismiss this case. Court is adjourned."


	12. Chapter 12

TWELVE

"We won," said Cole in disbelief. "We actually won."

"Well you are a very good lawyer," said Phoebe. "Whatever may have happened in the past I have to admit you always were a good lawyer."

"I think," said Caldwell, walking over to the defense table, "that what Cole means is he won against me. It was bound to happen sooner or later. The law of averages says that if you try often enough you're bound to win sooner or later."

"It wasn't the law of averages," said Piper. "It's because Cole is such a good lawyer. Phoebe's right. No matter what else has happened he's still a good lawyer."

"Why?" Cole asked.

"Excuse me?" Caldwell asked.

"Why did you do this?" Cole asked. "I can't believe it was on the off chance you might get their powers. And you've never cared for civil law. So why go through all this? It doesn't make sense."

"Of course it was to get their powers," said Caldwell. "When I found out that Leshna was the mate of the Source, I knew my chances were really good that I could get their powers this way. And once I had their powers I could become the new Source. With their powers no demon in the Underworld could oppose me. And it would have worked, too."

"Except you didn't know that the Source hadn't actually been vanquished," said Cole. "You were like most other demons. You thought I had only gotten the Source's powers. You didn't know that the Source himself had actually possessed me. That he hadn't actually been vanquished."

"Yeah, well, we all make mistakes," said Caldwell. "I hadn't imagined that a demon could actually survive a vanquishing. Present company excluded, of course. The Source was full demon. He had no soul to protect him. And to the best of my knowledge no other demon has survived a vanquishing by the Power of Three. I won't make that mistake the next time."

"There isn't going to be a next time," said Cole. "Besides a wrongful death claim you don't have anything else you can claim in a civil suit. This is going to be the last time we meet you in civil court."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Caldwell. "You know me. I can find cases no one else can. I'm sure there's a case waiting out there just waiting for me to find it."

"I wouldn't bet on that," said Piper. "Cole beat you this time. He'll beat you again. Assuming there is a next time."

"Once out of how many times, Cole?" Caldwell asked. "I've lost count how many times we've faced each other in court. And this is the first time you've even come close to beating me. Not a very good track record, is it?"

"First time's the hardest, as they say," said Cole. "Besides, you know how I like a challenge. I'll look forward to the next time. If there is a next time."

Caldwell just smiled and then turned and walked out of the courtroom.

"You think there will be a next time?" Paige asked. "You really think he can find someone else out there to file some silly civil suit against us?"

"Who knows?" questioned Cole. "He's right about one thing. He's able to find cases that no one else knows about. I don't think you really have anything to worry about but I can't be sure."

"I hope he's not too mad," said Elbert walking up to the table as he watched Caldwell leave the courtroom.

"Why should he be mad, Elbert?" Piper asked. "You were just a witness in his case. And as far as we can tell you told the truth. There's no reason for him to be mad at you."

"Yeah, well he told mom he was going to win," said Elbert. "He said with my testimony he couldn't lose. I guess he was wrong. I just hope he doesn't think I had anything to do with it."

"He should never have made that promise, Elbert," said Cole. "No lawyer can promise the outcome of a case like this."

"I guess so," said Elbert. "I have to say I was surprised when Mr. Caldwell showed up at my mother's chambers. She was never really crazy about Uncle Source. But when Mr. Caldwell said he could get her your powers she jumped at the chance. She thought it would help her gain more respect in the Underworld."

"In true demon fashion," said Phoebe.

"Elbert," said Cole thoughtfully, "are you saying that Byron came to your mother initially?"

"Well, yeah," said Elbert. "We never knew anything about any wrongful death suit until he told us about it. I didn't want to testify but he said I had to in order to help my mother. He said it was my civic duty to testify and that the rules of law required that I testify."

"He certainly knew what he was doing," said Cole. "Using rules and regulations on a Bureaucracy Demon to get him to do what he wanted. Under those conditions Elbert had no choice but to testify."

"Yeah, I know," said Elbert. "Gee, I really am sorry about all this. I never would have done it otherwise."

"Elbert, think hard," said Cole. "Are you sure that neither you nor your mother ever contacted Byron about this case? That neither of you asked him if you might have a case for wrongful death?"

"No," said Elbert. "Like I said, he just showed up at my mother's chambers one day. He said he had heard about Uncle Source's vanquishing and that he felt the girls should have to pay for vanquishing him. At first she didn't want to do it. She finally agreed only when Mr. Caldwell said he wouldn't name Cole in the suit. She's really fond of Cole, you know."

"That explains why I wasn't named as a participant," said Cole. "I've wondered about that since this thing started. Logically I should have been named as a co-defendant since I was instrumental in vanquishing the Source. But Byron chose to go only after the girls. That explains a great deal."

"Like what?" Leo asked.

"Like everything," said Cole smiling. "And you're sure that neither you nor your mother talked to any other attorney about this case before Bryan approached her?"

"No," said Elbert. "Like I said, neither of us knew we could do anything about it before Mr. Caldwell approached my mother."

"Well, it seems that Byron and I will be seeing each other in court a lot sooner than either of us anticipated," said Cole, smiling at the others.

"Are you planning to file a counter suit against him?" Phoebe asked.

"No," said Cole, smiling. "I'm going to file a grievance with the Underworld Bar Association. For misconduct amongst other things."

"Did he do something wrong during the trial?" Piper asked. "It's strange that you wouldn't have brought it up sooner. Or that the judge never mentioned anything about it."

"No, not during the trial," said Cole. "Before the trial. You see just as in the mortal world demonic attorneys cannot go out and drum up business. Oh, they can advertise in a general way and even for specific types of actions such as automobile accidents or work related injuries and such. But they aren't allowed to contact specific people about a specific case. It's considered unethical since it invites abuse. You know. Fabricating a case where one doesn't actually exist."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Elbert asked. "I mean, Mr. Caldwell said he was a very important lawyer. Isn't it dangerous for you to go making him angry like that?"

:"First of all," said Cole, "I'm like you, Elbert. I'm not a Bureaucracy Demon but it appears I can't be vanquished." He glanced over at Piper. "Besides, I won't be the one doing the investigating. I'm just going to lodge a complaint with the UBA. It's every lawyer's right and duty to report what appears to be abuse by any member of the bar. Even if those charges should ultimately prove to be groundless if I honestly feel that Byron has abused his position and power I'm bond by the Legal Code Of Ethics to report that abuse."

"Demonic Legal Code Of Ethics?" questioned Paige. "That sounds like an oxymoron to me."

"You have to remember that most demonic lawyers are Bureaucracy Demons," said Cole. "There are some 'normal' demons who become lawyers, like me. But for the most part they're primarily Bureaucracy Demons."

"Oh yes," said Elbert. "I know some of them. Their not bad fellows, really. Kind of single-minded like most Bureaucracy Demons, but otherwise they're okay."

"And like most Bureaucracy Demons," continued Cole, "they have to have their rules and regulations to follow. That's where the Legal Code Of Ethics comes from. Actually, it's very similar to the human Code of Ethics for lawyers. Or rather I should say the human code is similar to the demonic code. Come on, Elbert. I need to talk to your mother. I want to make sure I have my facts straight before I go to the Underworld Bar Association."

"Oh, good," said Elbert. "Mom will be glad to see you again. You haven't been over for dinner in such a long time."

"Well, at least this whole mess is over," said Piper. "For a while there I thought we were going to lose."

"So was I," said Leo. "And that wouldn't have been good at all. There are a lot of demons out there that you've ticked off over the years. If word had gotten out that you had been stripped of your powers there would have been nothing to stop them from taking their revenge on you."

"Can we go home, now?" Paige asked. "I've never much cared for these Otherworld courts. They give me the creeps."

"I'll second that," said Phoebe. "Every time we come here we end up practically fighting for our lives. At least with regular demons the attacks are straightforward. They cast fireballs at us and we vanquish them. I can't say I care too much for all these courtroom theatrics."

"Come on," said Leo, smiling. "We won so I guess we're free to go. I can orb us all back to the manor. And I think we can all use some rest after this ordeal."

They all orb out of the Otherworld court as Cole stood over at the plaintiff's table talking with Elbert and his mother.

The End

If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed" stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own "Charmed" stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.


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